The field of the present invention relates generally to toilet training a person and, more particularly, to a network-based system and method for toilet training a child that includes a user computing device having a toilet training management application configured to customize toilet training alerts and associated entertainment experiences based on feedback received during the process.
Toilet training a child is a process conducted over weeks or months, and often involves many manual efforts involving both the parent and the child. When a child is physically ready for toilet training, the parent helps the child through the process of learning to control their bladder and bowel. Although a child may be physically ready to toilet train, the child may not be mentally enthusiastic about performing the recommended toilet training steps. To help the child through the process, a parent will often employ helpful techniques. Known techniques during toilet training include: ritualistic behavioral routine such as having the child sit on the toilet at regular intervals; positive reinforcement such as rewarding the child with a treat or praising the child after a particular achievement; and negative reinforcement such as scolding the child if the child is not willing to participate in some way.
One known problem with the toilet training process is a lack of willingness on the part of the child to participate in the necessary training events and rituals. For example, as a part of the training process, a parent may have the child sit on a toilet at various times during the day. This step both helps the child become acclimated to sitting on the toilet, as well as positioning the child for a potential event. If the child is resistant to this step, then the parent may try to coax the child with a promise of a reward. Or, the parent may give the child a book to occupy the child while sitting on the toilet so that the child will remain seated longer. But these techniques are often limited in their usefulness. Children can quickly tire of sitting on the toilet with just a book, or just a promise. Further, under some known systems, it is often the parent that must initiate these events. Or a parent may have difficulty getting the child to take a break from their present activities. With a child who is resistant to the process, or who does not want to be interrupted from their current activities, the insistence on participating in a toilet training event can turn the parent into the “bad guy” in the child's eyes.
Another known problem with the toilet training process is the differing schedules and other situational variables of individual children. For example, some children may start their day based on a fixed schedule of a parent's routine. Others awake on their own schedule, but some may rise earlier than others. Further, timing of bladder and bowel evacuation events may be quite different for children, based on various situational variables such as diet, meal routines, daily activity routines, and personal biology. Some known systems adapt a rigid structure for the timing of toilet training events. For example, a parent may simply initiate a toilet training event at a predetermined time of the day, or after a fixed period of time between events. Such approaches do not account for personal situational variables, nor do they adapt to the child's patterns based on prior successes or failures.
Thus, there is a need for a system that can assist the parent with initiating toilet training events, motivate the child to participate more readily in the individual toilet training events, and adapt to the child's routines and personal differences.